Jeddah's Hajj Terminal – a thing of beauty

Travel guide producer Frommer’s has ranked Jeddah-King Abduaziz International Airport’s Hajj Terminal as one of the world’s top 10 most beautiful terminals.

Frommer’s – which notes that it becomes one of the world’s busiest terminals during the Hajj pigrimage when millions of pilgrims make their way to the Muslim holy city of Mecca – was particularly impressed by the ‘open air’ design of its 210 white fibreglass tents.

And they are not just for show as the tents’ sustainable features include the ability to deflect heat and diffuse natural daylight into the interiors, and a conical shape, which creates a chimney effect that cools interiors with minimal mechanical assistance.

Indeed, such is the imnpact of this ‘chimney effect’ that as temperatures hit as high as 120⁰F outside, temperatures within the terminal remain at a relaxed 75⁰F within the tents.
Frommer’s also notes that the Hajj Terminal recently received the American Institute of Architects’ 25-year award for a design that has ‘stood the test of time’.

The world’s other most ‘beautiful’ terminals, according to Frommer’s, can be found at Singapore Changi (T3), Keflavik, Seoul Incheon, Wellington, New JFK (T5), Marrakech (T1), Madrid Barajas (T4), Montevideo, and Bilbao (main terminal).